Omara Portuondo Tiny Desk Concert

NPR’s Tiny Desk series documents one-of-a-kind performances, allowing for an intimate look at musicians — some well-known, others just starting out — as they make music behind Bob Boilen’s desk in the NPR Music offices.

Started in 2008, the Tiny Desk concerts are often imitated but never quite duplicated. The setting helps, as do our world-class engineers and the recording equipment we keep on hand. But the secret weapon is that the musicians who come through almost always have a personal relationship with NPR.

When Alt.Latino started asking Latin musicians to come play for us at the desk, we found the same level of enthusiasm. Now that the series is pushing 600 episodes, we’ve been able to bring in as many forms of Latin music as we can. The artists represented on this week’s show are by no means singled out as our favorites — like all proud parents, we don’t play favorites — but they’re all great.

Instead, consider this sampler an invitation to dive in and discover all the great Latin music we’ve presented so far, with much more to come.

Omara Portuondo
“Her performance here of two classic boleros was enough to transport us to another time and place. Achingly tender and direct, her Tiny Desk concert reflects the passion for life she instills in every performance. So sit back and take in a brief but lovely performance by a timeless, ageless wonder.” —Felix Contreras